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Following Peter Hawkings very brief stint at Tom Ford, the American fashion house has now appointed Haider Ackermann as its new creative director.
As of September 4, Ackermann – the Columbian-born French designer known for his eponymous label which shut down in 2020 – will take the reins just one year after Tom Ford himself stepped down after the brand was purchased by Estée Lauder Companies Inc for $2.8bn in 2022.
“We are thrilled to welcome Haider Ackermann to Tom Ford. Haider’s appointment strengthens our ambitions for this enormously successful brand,” William P Lauder, the executive chairman from ELC, told Vogue Business. “His unique and insightful vision will further enhance the house’s global impact on fashion and culture.”
Ford established his namesake line in 2005, fueling his irrevocable talent to create a sexy legacy label consisting of menswear, womenswear, accessories, and beauty. He’d just finished up at Gucci where he’d worked to move the brand into a mod light, producing contemporary runways full of perverse styles inarguably desired by many.
Selling his company in 2022 marked a turning point for Ford. He had signed over ownership and subsequently given himself a path out of the illustrious luxury fashion world.
In conversation with GQ in November 2023, Ford opened up about his decision to sell Tom Ford to ELC. “There are several reasons I sold my company,” he explained. “I felt, after 35 years, I had said everything I could say with fashion. It’s important to know when to get off the stage.”
After the 63-year-old designer bowed out, Peter Hawkings – who’d spent 20 years working with Ford at the label – was tapped to take on the role of creative director. However, his time at Tom Ford was short-lived, showing only two collections that were regarded as “disappointing,” according to Women’s Wear Daily.
By July 2023, Hawkings was confirmed to be stepping down, leaving the position of creative director at Tom Ford open until now.
“It is with tremendous pride that I will seek to honor the legacy of Tom Ford, a man I have long admired and have the utmost respect for,” Ackermann said in a statement released by ELC on September 4.
As creative director, Ackermann will oversee the design for Tom Ford’s menswear, womenswear, eyewear, and accessories. What’s more, ELC is giving Ackermann control over the brand’s overall concept and “creative vision.”
While the designer is assuming his new role immediately, his first collection won’t show until March 2025 during Paris Fashion Week’s fall/winter collections.
Celebrating this new era of Tom Ford, the brand’s founder wrote: “I have long been a great fan of Haider’s work. I find both his womenswear and menswear equally compelling. He is an incredible colorist, his tailoring is sharp, and above all he is modern. We share many of the same historical references, and I could not be more excited to see what he does with the brand. I suspect that I will be the first on my feet to applaud after his show in March.”
